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Dragon
Most of the dragons in the world are wild, violent beasts that cannot be tamed; they are feral animals. Some dragons, however, are quite sentient: far more intelligent than their feral counterparts, they can learn languages, advanced magic, and even how to shapeshift into smaller creatures such as human forms! Dragons Sentient dragons come in a variety of lifestyles: * Some have developed their own culture and society * Some live in seclusion, following their own interests and moral compass * Some use illusions and shapeshifting to live among magekind * Some live openly as dragons with other sentient species such as humans, though this is kept secret from the rest of the world outside of that small community. In such cases, they often allow chosen friends to ride them. Additionally, not all dragons have magic. Most sentient dragons are inherently magical, but their magical talents vary widely, with some limited to a fire breath and others capable of any spell a human mage can cast. Appearance Dragons have numerous shapes, sizes, and colors. While some follow a breed pattern, others seem to be their own unique design. * Scales: traditionally reptilian, though some have stone, charcoal, ice, or even wooden scales. Such dragons are usually steeped in elemental magics. * Size: most dragons, at adulthood, are the size of a truck in body. Some are smaller or even tiny, and some are larger, growing to dwarf houses and are sometimes mistaken for hills when they nap. * Wings: most dragons have an expansive pair of wings that can keep them aloft. Most are bat wings, though butterfly, dragonfly, feathered, and other styles have been known. * Horns and spines: most dragons have these features along their bodies, though style varies greatly * Eyes: most dragons have reptilian eyes. The color varies, and some are even molten, burning coals, or deep pools of swirling color. Body Types * Amphitere: a winged snake with no hind legs. Many have no forelegs, either! Some have feathers. * Drake: the "classic" quadrupedal dragon, with four legs like a lizard and a large pair of wings. ** Some people use the term "Drake" to refer to only small, feral, wingless, nonmagical dragons, though historic use refers to any classic 4-legged dragon. * Hydra: usually a water-dweller, these dragons have multiple heads. Some also have multiple tails, limbs, and sets of wings. * Wyrm or Eastern: wingless, they fly with pure magic as though swimming through the air. ** Lindworms have two front legs only (no wings or back legs) ** African Serpents often have no legs at all, appearing as giant snakes or legless crocodiles. Some are like Lindworms. ** "Wyrm" sometimes describes an ancient and wizened dragon of any type, owing to language drift. * Wyvern: a winged dragon with no forelegs; the wings replace their arms. Some will walk on their wing joints like a bat. 'Food' Dragons prefer to eat the food of their natural, predatory form: goats, sheep, cattle, deer, etc. It varies by region and appetite. Often, a hungry dragon will eat whatever small, live creature is available to them. This can but does not always include humans. Some few dragons will also eat rocks, metal, and crystals or even wood, though those are rarer traits. Among Magekind The vast majority of magical society thinks of dragons as only wild beasts, animals that are difficult if not impossible to train. While some small groups of human mages have been able to train feral or semi-intelligent dragons as ridable mounts or companions, even they are not always aware that some dragons are sentient. Dragonkind tend to be cautious in who they reveal themselves to, and so, when living among humans, they either hide their natural form entirely, or let other mages assume they have draconic ancestors to cause their horns or scales or eyes. Trefoil Academy is aware of sentient dragons, and includes them among their student rosters and staff pool. Some other factions are also aware, owing to their own history, research, or encounters. Dragon Slayers There exist some people who hunt dragons of all kinds, including sentient dragons. Their reasons vary, but most will continue to hunt and fight dragons even knowing they are sentient. * Elitism: some believe that only humans should have magical powers, and they will hunt other species as well. * Greed: some hunt only for profit or sport, even if it is poaching or murder. They wish to use the dragon scales, claws, and other parts as trophies, or to sell at a premium to other unscrupulous buyers as reagents. * Revenge: some were wronged by a dragon or other monster in the past, and now hunt them to "protect others" or to get revenge for something that happened to them, such as one dragon's destructive rampage, the death of a friend or family member, or the loss of a cow (regardless if the dragon actually did it or not) The Westgaards are known to be enslaving dragons at their compounds, harvesting them for reagents such as armor and potion ingredients. They also use some as mounts until they become too old or injured. Dragon Society While not all sentient dragons are a part of this secret, dragon-only society, some have developed their own rich culture apart from humans. They are elitist, excluding even part-dragons from this society. They speak in Draconic with each other, a language older than their own society. Some who live near humans will forcibly shapeshift their dragon children into human form in order to blend in among the more prevalent human species and avoid Dragon Hunters. They are lead by a council of elders, who create and enforce their rules; this council also tries to pressure or force other sentient dragons outside of their society to conform to their rules. Draconic, as a language, exists outside of this secret culture, since dragons have been speaking it and writing with it for eons. Some ancient magical texts in old libraries and archives are written in Draconic. Most mages (if they are even aware of it) view it as an ancient, obsolete language without even knowing the truth. 'Abilities' As varied as dragons are, their magics are equally varied. Some common abilities among dragons include: * Armored scales, which are often spell-resistant * Elemental magic affinity, usually to one specific element. The most common are fire or earth magic, though water, ice, plant, electric, illusion, solar, lunar, metal, necrotic/shadow, and others have all been known. ** The classic "Fire Breath" is very common * Poison is sometimes an additional trait, whether by venomous bite, tail-sting, or poisonous fumes * Flight is common, even in wingless varieties. The skill level varies from simple physical gliding to full magical levitation. Suggested Spells * Element of choice, with attack and control spells of that kind ** Ex: Flamebolt, Fiery Sword, Fiery Arrows, Flame Gout, Volcano * Stoneskin (3 AC, is akin to having hardened scales) * Knockback (level 2), to replicate a wing or tail hit * Fighting Spells like Flanking Strike (3), Riposte (5), Sneak Attack (5) * Shapeshift (3+, to grant dragon form attacks and flight. Check the box to mark it as natural form) Part Dragon Half-dragons and those with draconic blood in their ancestry are more common than one might think. Some haughty dragons even claim that humans only have magic because of remnants of dragon lineage, though that is likely untrue. Appearance Half-dragons usually exhibit draconic traits in a humanoid body, though the hybridization results in a wide variety of configurations. Part-dragons, who are more distantly removed from their dragon ancestor, tend to show more and more humanoid traits. Examples include: * Scales, or patches of scales on their skin * Claws * Reptilian eyes * Horns and/or spines * Wings, usually vestigial and difficult to do more than glide with * Some may have an elemental breath attack, like firebreathing * Steam coming from their ears when they sneeze Food While a part dragon might enjoy the food of dragons, most often, they eat human food. Sometimes their stomach simply cannot handle raw meat, and sometimes they are more concerned about fitting in and so hide their odd tastes. In Magical Society If they are able to shapeshift or use illusion to hide their draconic attributes, part-dragons are able to easily integrate into magical society among humans. Otherwise, they aren't exactly loathed by most mages, but many are wary of their "beastly" origin and whether the part-dragon will turn feral and eat their children or burn the city down or steal the nearest princess away to some remote tower. They are also threatened by Dragon Slayers, who view them as abominations. Among Dragon Society While some individual dragons may accept them, the Dragon's council does not, viewing half-dragons and other hybrids as inferior. They are excluded and discriminated against. Abilities Owing to their draconic ancestry, part-dragons have dragon-like affinities. They cannot, however, turn into full dragons without some very advanced shapeshifting magic. * Many have armored scales, which are often spell-resistant * Elemental magic affinity, usually to one specific element. The most common are fire or earth magic, though water, ice, plant, electric, illusion, solar, lunar, metal, necrotic/shadow, and others have all been known. The classic "Fire Breath" is very common * Poison is sometimes an additional trait, whether by venomous bite/sting, or poisonous fumes Suggested Spells * Element of choice, with attack and control spells of that kind ** Ex: Flamebolt, Fiery Sword, Fiery Arrows, Flame Gout, Volcano * Barkskin or Stoneskin (2 or 3 AC, is akin to having hardened scales) * Fighting Spells like Flanking Strike (3), Riposte (5), Sneak Attack (5) * Shapeshift (3+, to grant claw attacks and natural armor scaling. Check the box to mark it as natural form) = Category:Species